Director, Instructional Design & Simulation

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is committed to transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health through educating the cardiovascular care team utilizing the latest and most impactful methods and technologies. The Senior Manager, Instructional Design & Simulation is pivotal for overseeing the approaches for designing engaging and innovative live, digital and simulation-based educational activities like interactive patient cases, professional debates, and hands-on simulation to address knowledge, skills, attitudes, and performance opportunities. Leveraging adult learning principles, best practices, and simulation experience, the team leader will oversee a small team of Instructional Designers and manage the curation and design of divisional curriculum and grant-supported activities. This role is intended to serve as a bridge among Education teams to leverage the various resources for the greatest impact. This role also oversees ACC’s Simulation Work Group, ensuring the integration of cutting-edge simulation technologies and methodologies into ACC’s educational offerings.

This position is based in Washington, DC where we have a hybrid work environment (two days per week in the office).

Major Duties & Responsibilities: 

• Collaborate with clinical subject matter experts (SMEs), apply instructional design theories and methods, and utilize multimedia tools to enhance the learning process.
• Create engaging learning activities and appropriate delivery formats (live, online, blended, and simulation) and compelling course content that enhances knowledge retention and transfer. 
• Develop simulation scenarios and oversee the implementation and evaluation of simulation-based educational activities.
• Provide adult learning subject matter expert (SME) coaching to ensure content and delivery method achieve stated learning objectives and goals.
• Collaborate with needs assessment staff to conduct instructional research and identify target audience’s training needs.
• Decide on the criteria used to judge learners’ performance and develop assessment instruments.
• State instructional goals and create content that aligns with objectives and intended outcomes.
• Use storyboarding to visualize instructional content and graphics, the user experience, and the finished product.
• Apply tested instructional design theories, practice and methods.
• Integrate simulation technologies and methodologies to enhance learning experiences and outcomes, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), simulated patients, and other interactive simulations.
• Build relationships and work collaboratively with members and staff, leveraging strong interpersonal skills and subject matter expertise to influence and guide decision making.
• Manage a team of Instructional Designers, creating an environment that allows staff to grow and thrive while driving performance. 
• Maintain a strong understanding of the Learning Content Management System (LCMS) functionality and apply that understanding to facilitate efficient educational design, development, and delivery.
• Maintain project documentation and course folders.
• Suggest content repurposing ideas to broaden reach and create new revenue streams.
• As a member organization, it’s critical that we support and partner with our members when they are available. This person will need to work outside of normal business hours on occasion, in order to fulfil member and program needs.
• Other responsibilities as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Education, Instructional Design, or a Healthcare-related field.
• Ten (10+) years of relevant professional experience including at least five (5+) years of clinical instruction and/or simulation experience.
• Instructional design experience directly within simulation and the healthcare industry and/or medical education sector; experience with simulation mannequins, task trainers, standardized patients, OSCE’s, etc. 
• Must have had responsibility for delivering educational activities from the idea stage through development, implementation, and evaluation (equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered).
• Experience directly managing and leading a team and experience managing multiple, complex projects simultaneously.
• Excellent interpersonal and consensus-building skills required to work collaboratively and influence a diverse group of stakeholders (staff, committee members, collaborators, etc.).
• Working knowledge of learning content management systems and an understanding of technical standards for online learning.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated initiative and creativity in the performance of assigned tasks.
• Available for travel on occasion to support job responsibilities, and willingness and ability to occasionally work outside of standard business hours for member collaboration and programming.

Desired Qualifications:

• Master’s in Education, Instructional Design, or Healthcare preferred.
• Strong experience with the healthcare delivery system; patient clinical experience strongly preferred.
• Certificate in developing simulation experiences. 
• Experience designing content for simulations, mobile devices, and personalized education platforms.
• Experience designing and delivering content through authoring systems and content management and delivery systems such as Xyleme and Digital Ignite.
• Experience with simulation-based education, including the design and implementation of VR, AR, and other interactive simulation technologies.
• Knowledge of best practices in simulation andragogy and assessment.

About Us:

At the American College of Cardiology, we bring our hearts to work.

We are a 500-person organization dedicated and committed to our mission to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health for the past 70 years. When you join our team, you become part of a passionate culture that envisions a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes.

Every day, we are committed to supporting our more than 56,000 members and their patients around the globe and in doing so, ensure our staff have a positive environment of teamwork, collaboration, professionalism and excellence. To learn more about why ACC has been recognized as one of Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work in Healthcare please visit our site at: www.acc.org/jobs.

What We Offer: 

ACC values all members of our College family, including ACC staff. As the foundation of the organization, ACC staff enjoy world-class benefits and a culture of work-life balance. Our benefit offerings include insurance (medical, dental, vision, basic life, and short- and long-term disability, and supplemental options), generous paid time off (pre-loaded vacation and sick, 12 holidays and an organizational shut-down during the last week of the year, parental leave, 2 community service days, and half-day summer Fridays), tuition assistance and a very competitive 10% retirement contribution after a year of service, and much more! You can visit our careers site for an overview of our full offerings: https://www.acc.org/about-acc/jobs-at-the-acc. Please note that these offerings may change at any time. 

ACC believes in fair and equitable pay. Multiple factors are taken into consideration when we determine what salary to offer a selected candidate. These factors include, but are not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the role, the selected candidate’s work experience, education and training, as well as internal equity, market, and business considerations. Our salary ranges differ based on the cost of labor in the local market where the job will be performed. For this role in Washington, DC (and other high-cost of labor markets if applicable, including California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, Washington) the target base salary range is: $120,000 – $145,000. The salary ranges for other locations in the US (if applicable) will vary based on the local labor market; ACC’s Recruitment Team will be able to provide more information to candidates during initial discussions. 

COVID Considerations:

As an employer in the public health space, and an organization that serves members who are essential medical personnel, ACC requires all staff, temporary employees, and contractors to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before working onsite at ACC or attending ACC events. Proof of vaccination will be required.  Individuals can request an exemption from this requirement due to a medical condition or sincerely held religious belief, and those requests for reasonable accommodations will be evaluated individually.

ACC is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all candidates and employees. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. Equal Opportunity Employer, including individuals with disabilities and veterans.

ACC is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact Crystal Nott, Sr. Director, People Resources & Engagement at cnott@acc.org or (202)375-6423.